WH lashes out at CNBC's Santelli

[jefferson_dem]

Source: politico

WH lashes out at CNBC's Santelli
By JOSH GERSTEIN | 2/20/09 3:00 PM EST Text Size:

The White House is lashing out publicly and personally at a CNBC reporter whose attack on President Obama’s anti-foreclosure plan caught fire on the Internet Thursday.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs jumped at the chance to go after the CNBC journalist, Rick Santelli, when a question about his bracing critique was asked at Friday’s news briefing.

“I’ve watched Mr. Santelli on cable the past 24 hours or so. I’m not entirely sure where Mr. Santelli lives or in what house he lives but the American people are struggling every day to meet their mortgages, stay in their jobs, pay their bills, send their kids to school,” Gibbs said. “I think we left a few months ago the adage that if it was good for a derivatives trader that it was good for Main Street. I think the verdict is in on that,” the press secretary said, poking directly at the cable journalist, who reports from the trading floor at the Chicago Board of Trade.

Gibbs insisted Santelli was misinformed when he said Obama’s program would amount to a transfer of money from prudent taxpayers to those who had taken reckless risks.

“Mr. Santelli has argued, I think quite wrongly, that this plan won’t help everyone,” Gibbs said. “This plan helps people who have been playing by the rules….I would encouraged him to read the president’s plan….I’d be more than happy to have him come here to read it. I’d be happy to buy him a cup of coffee—decaf,” the press secretary said, in a not-so-subtle jab at Santelli’s frantic style.

Gibbs brandished a copy of a fact sheet about Obama’s plan. “Download it, hit print, and begin to read it,” he said. In an unusually personal and direct attack on a specific journalist, Gibbs used Santelli’s name at least five times.

VIDEO - http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1155201977/bctid13778694001


Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0209/19083.html

---

Hedge Fund Money Man Sentelli responds - wants to make sure all are treated "fairly and equally"

VIDEO - http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1041588591&play=1

[Captain Hilts]

1. Go get 'em 'Bam!

[Justitia]

2. Santelli the Hedge Fund Mgr & his derivative trading buddies are who CAUSED this problem.

Now he wants the 99% of citizens who are not in his tax bracket to be homeless.

Fuck that guy.

[Andy823]

33. Damn right they caused it!

Deregulation, greed, and criminal actions by those idiots, and the Bush gang, are what got us here, and for any of them to attack the homeowners of this country is asinine!

I don't have a mortgage, my house is paid for, but I have no problem with helping those who have lost their jobs because of the actions of the last 8 years by idiots who ran this country, and who's greed has put us into the worst economy since the great depression! Santelli is trying to get the heat of his own ass, and get people worked up so they don't see what kind of ass's, like him, caused the problems. I hope he is under investigation and we find out just how deep he was involved in this crap!

[AngryAmish]

43. Needless speculation in corn futures

THat is the sort of derivities work that put out nation in the toilet!

[LiberalFighter]

66. I wonder if that guy was involved in oil speculation.

[Supersedeas]

108. and his pathetic fucking buddies who screwed this country

[bluestateguy]

3. This was Gibbs best moment

Gibbs has been mediocre so far as press secretary, but he was spot on today.

[JDPriestly]

29. Gibbs is getting his stride. This was great.

[geiger]

98. He sucks; he thinks he is clever, but he sucks. You can't prevent, necessarily,

situations like this happening.

BUT, this is about core values and decency. What Santelli did is totally beyond the pale. I think I have seen the incident thrice now, and until jeffersondem's post, wasn't actually thinking it was real.

I am in total shock and horror.

Gibbs is not sending enough forces out there to share the message and plan.


This is absolutely horrible, for the panic it is enciting, and the lack of foresight. I don't care how many websites you have to set up transparency. It's not enough; it's about relationships. Gibbs is a lightweight at best; OMG, they should be moving him into some other role as soon as possible. He doesn't "get it."

[atreides1]

4. Good

It's about time some of these "journalists" were called out by name!!

[graywarrior]

5. No kidding, huh?

What a nice surprise.

[Spouting Horn]

36. Damn straight

"Journalists" who lie about the Obama plan should face some form of retribution, at the very least.

[aggiesal]

45. These TV Stations that have been granted FCC licenses, ...

should broadcast news for the greater good.

Any TV or Radio station that knowingly broadcasts lies to deceive
the public, using our airwaves, should be stripped of their license.

I have no problem with people exercising their right to free speech
but they should not be granted an FCC license to lie intentionally.

By Rush !!!

[Democrats_win]

6. Go get 'em. Note: were those the "prudent" tax payers who voted for bush?

It's really silly to make judgements like Santelli suggests. He makes the judgement that if you're having financial problems, then you aren't prudent. That's the kind of logic that Rush Limbaugh lives on.

Wouldn't it be better to hold those who voted for bush accountable for this mess? We could go down to the county clerk's office and gather names and then.....Wait, that's the kind of thing they did in Rwanda.

Better to just say we're all Americans, we're in this together and if we don't fix this, we will all suffer no matter how purdent we've been.

[jmowreader]

55. Maybe the Rwandans have the right idea...

:sarcasm:

But seriously, I think it's more than prudent to say, if YOU voted for Bush YOU are responsible for this. Not "partially" responsible. You voted for him. You own this. You figure out how to fix it.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

7. Politico calls this 'lashing out' ? Gibbsy just schooled Santelli a little.

[No Elephants]

50. Politico? You mean the name is not Pimpitico? Oops. My bad.

[FreakinDJ]

8. Love the "Direct Approach" - Truth works

[FrenchieCat]

9. Rick Santelli should STFU before he finds himself unemployed

and risks losing his million dollar mansion.

[tblue37]

18. Frenchie, is that gorgeous little girl your child? nt

[FrenchieCat]

Yes that's my daughter! She's a 21 year old now!

[Grateful for Hope]

46. Beautiful baby!

and, from the looks of your pictures, a very talented young woman! You must be very proud!

[tblue37]

78. The dancer? Oh, my! Wow.

My kids are all grown up now, too. My daughter is 27 and my son is 29.

But I still sigh over their baby and toddler pictures.

Wasn't it something else to have our babies around when they were little? I adore the adults they grew up to be, and I am immensely proud of what they have become--but, oh! how I miss my babies.

I imagine you know exactly what I mean, and that is why your sig picture is your baby when she was a baby.

Anyway, if the dancer is your grown up daughter, she is still gorgeous!

[FrenchieCat]

82. I feel as you do!

and yes, like you are with your children, I'm very proud of her.

Although proud, it isn't my place to reveal her indentity on the internet, which is why the dancer pics of her are ones where she cannot be easily identified....and why I use a baby Pic instead of one of her now.

[ClayZ]

99. He needs to take his family on a road trip to see the USA.

Step away from the cubicles. Go out and visit with people in DETROIT.


They could count Foreclosure Signs along the way!

[Purveyor]

10. Thank you for posting... K&R eom

[Kurovski]

11. Good.

I was fucking sick of the CNBC gang rambling-on every half hour for the past three days about the Santelli on-line revolution. :eyes:

Please kindly STFU and wake the fuck up, you goofy-assed clowns.

[gratuitous]

12. Uh oh, lashing out at a villager?

Bad news. See, the way the Bush administration did it, they would just tell the assembled presstitutes that unsavory behavior (by which they meant asking questions) had been "noted in the building." Ari Fleischer didn't have to say that any particular reporter would lose his precious useless access; it was sufficient to drop the broad hint in public, followed by the threatening phone calls to editors, publishers, and network honchos. The presstitutes fell in line for that toot fuckin' sweet.

But to make a direct response to an irresponsible tirade will offend the other villagers, who will feel compelled to defend their idiot colleague. Who knows? If a defender is sufficiently zealous, maybe that person can score a sinecure with the National Broadcasting Company or one of its many affiliates. Do-nothing jobs that pay millions aren't easy to come by, you know.

[girl gone mad]

I don't think Gibbs should have gotten personal.

Santelli was against the TARP bailouts, too.

I think there are better ways to address this concern than a personal attack.

[gratuitous]

21. I suppose it depends on what he was asked

If someone asked Gibbs a question with a specific reference to Santelli's unhinged screed, it's difficult to see how one formulates a response without referring to Santelli by name. I'll have to look at the video later when I have some time.

I note, however, that Santelli is real brave in a room full of other overpaid do-nothing folks at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. And then he has the gall to claim he's speaking for some kind of silent majority. I'd like to see him try this little stunt in the South Bronx or in Fort Myers, FL, or one of the hundreds of other places hit so hard by the greedy overreach of the finance sector.

[Hippo_Tron]

37. If it were a kneejerk attack it would've been one thing but this was done for a reason

Gibbs was lashing out because Santelli is a great target to paint the opposition as out of touch greedy wall street jerks. The lashing was planned out, as evidenced by the fact that he brought a copy of Obama's plan into the press room with him. I'm Axelrod and others were involved.

[Jim Sagle]

57. Hi Axelrod, how ya doin'?

;)

[Hippo_Tron]

61. LOL I just noticed that typo

Thought I definitely wish I were David Axelrod. Having his job right now would be pretty awesome.

[lostnfound]

93. The benefit of the public scolding is that the public sees it

Hopefully, little by little, it will help them become more wary of the talking heads (and shouting heads especially) on their idiot box.

[katty]

13. perfectly put

[specimenfred1984]

14. Santelli's a fascist pigfck, I never heard him scream at the war criminals

Santelli and people like him are the problem, I'm enjoying watching them go broke because of their own corruption.

[alcibiades_mystery]

15. Does Santelli hold long positions on mortgage backed securities?

Inquiring minds want to know...

[YvonneCa]

16. Good. Santelli's remarks were the kind of divisive...

...words that need to stop. His words divide neighbor against neighbor. How does that help the situation? How is that good for the country?

Sometimes I wonder if these guys live in the real world...or are just 'dense.'

[BR_Parkway]

17. Loved how Gibbs did it deliberate, slow and measured to show the

contrast between Competent to handle this mess and shrill M$M who stands to make money off of others fears

[Blue_Tires]

19. politico isn't even trying to hide their slant anymore

"publically and personally??" what? did gibbs mention santelli's mother or something?

[truedelphi]

32. A person would think that the mom was mentioned!

I like the directness of the WH response.

Print it, Daniel.

[Veritas_et_Aequitas]

62. I heard he was cracking wise about Santelli's momma.

[radfringe]

20. question

couple of weeks ago Obama told NOPers to stop listen to the gas-bag limbaugh

now Gibbs takes on the mouth-foamer Santelli

will they sic Biden on Coultergeist next?

are we seeing a White House that will fight back? If so, send whatever they are drinking at the White House over to Reid and Pelosi. Juice up the congress dems

[Grateful for Hope]

48. Absolutely right on!

I do think we are seeing an administration that is not going to take unwarranted media attacks lying down.

As far as Pelosi and Reid -- I hope that this "fighting back" we may be seeing is contagious.

[kywildcat]

53. hear hear!

[AngryOldDem]

22. And Santelli is laboring under the delusion that the WH wants to dialogue with him.

:rofl:

[Maineman]

23. Santelli was acting so crazy, I figure he must have a big

secret Swiss bank account at UBS which is in the process of being exposed. Perhaps he expects to get a very large tax bill.

[Prometheus Bound]

24. “we left a few months ago the adage if it was good for a derivatives trader it was good for Main St"

That was perfect.

[MattBaggins]

79. Could have been better

should have called him a junk bond trader.

[change_notfinetuning]

25. Gibbs and Santelli are equally out of it - The real winner in the

White House solutions is Wall Street and Big Banks. Most of your money will go to bail out the most undeserving of crooks. The most deserving people in this recession/depression are the least likely to see any real CHANGE. FINE TUNING is now the goal. There is still no additional income tax on the people making gazillions of dollars, and there are still many who are. But the millions of people collecting unemployment compensation, meager as that is, will be paying income tax on that. That was a Reagan change, and apparently one Obama people can live with. If I am wrong about suckers on unemployment having to pay income tax on that money, I will be happy to stand corrected. Unfortunately, the change I see so far is a slap in the face to Obama supporters who got him elected. I still have hope. They need to let Obama be Obama. He is being sold a bill of goods. Afghanistan? Please!!!!!!!!

[Triana]

72. Unemployment money is certainly taxed as income.

Absolutely. And it should not be and banks should be disallowed from charging ANY fees for use/access/transfer of the money. Period. This is something that can and should be changed NOW.

[Wetzelbill]

26. People like that need to be called out and embarrassed.

[SpartanDem]

27. give 'em hell

[Sherman A1]

28. My email to CNBC

I would suggest to you that Mr. Santelli's comments regarding the many Americans who are facing foreclosure are completely reprehensible. There are hard working people in this country who are suffering and about to lose their homes due to the lack of jobs brought on by this debacle that in no small measure had it's making on Wall Street. His noisy grandstanding serves no purpose other than to stroke his very impressive ego.

I would urge CNBC to relieve this "gentlemen" of his duties forthwith and allow someone who is willing to report the news rather than create it for their own purpose to take his place.

[zeemike]

49. That was a good response

Short, sweet. and right to the point.

[Sherman A1]

60. Thanks!

Much appreciated, they don't give you too much space to write so brevity was important.

[yy4me]

30. Ouch, that must have hurt. It was one of the best put-downs

I have ever seen.

Bravo. Now if a few more fatheaded, fat paycheck journalists would pay attention to the whole picture, I'd say it was a banner day.

[cosmicone]

31. Utterly misleading headline -- probably on purpose

There was no "lashing out" in it at all -- just an explanation and offer to discuss.

[BlueIdaho]

34. What is Sentelli's email address?

I have a few thought's I'd like to share with this little bottom feeder...

[mashimaro]

35. Same asswipe that said oil futures were not driving up gas

prices. Why do they even give these nut jobs credibility?

[DCKit]

51. Then he has fans (or employees) trolling the DU.

Quelle surprise. Not that this is a new tactic, it just really rankles me on a very deep level when they come HERE and try to tell us "black is white, up is down." It's not as if they're dealing with the delusional, gullible crowd they might find on some *other* board, yet they keep trying.

[Hippo_Tron]

38. Santelli was a gift for the White House

A greedy Wall Street derivatives trader lashing out at a bill designed to help ordinary Americans. What more could they possibly ask for to help them paint the opposition?

[Hubert Flottz]

39. "taken reckless risks."

The stock market traitors and bankers are experts on taking reckless risks with the investor's cash and the shape this country's pension funds are in is proof of that.

The fat cats took a reckless risk when they kept voting GOP and ignored reality over and over again.

Rick Santelli and his greed driven friends ate up Bush and the neocons made up reality and now they want to keep right looting and lying just like they did for the past eight years without any adult supervision from the SEC or any other government regulatory agency, including the GOP led congress.

How about all those reckless Bush tax cuts for the wealthy and the war in Iraq and the TARP bailout Mr. Santelli?

[paulsby]

59. Santelli and TARP

iirc, Santelli was AGAINST the TARP bailout as well. I'd be happy to be proven wrong, but that's how I remember it.

Also, derivatives traders, specifically floor traders on the CME are NOT wall street fat cats. I'll repeat my rant on floor traders.

Santelli is an asshat. Given that,

I think some people have a misconception of what the average floor trader is, where he/she comes from, etc. I believe that was who Santelli was referencing, since he was talking from the CME... this is one of the last exchanges in the industrialized world that still HAS floor traders. Most exchanges have gone completely electronic.

The average floor trader, who trades in futures and other derivatives is NOT a wall street fatcat. Some DO become very wealthy. But their background is frequently blue collar, they often have only a high school education (if that), they are of mixed ethnicity, etc. One thing is clear is that they are almost exclusively male, though.

It is a very athletic job, and some of the best traders are former star high school jocks, etc. It takes that kind of type-a aggressiveness and self confidence, and physical size on the floor helps too. Bobby Flay, the chef is a former floor trader, for example.

They almost never have MBA's and they do not come from the ivy league, or the financial hoi polloi, generally.

It is a very difficult job and many wash out. It is extremely stressful, and the wrong snap decision can have big consequences. In this respect, they are much like air traffic controllers.

My point is that the average floor trader is not a wall street fat cat, he is not some detached guy pressing buttons, he is not a guy who is doing leveraged buyouts (and destroying companies in the process). He is facilitating order flow, absorbing and providing liquidity, and either fading or riding the coattails of the big institutional investors, depending on his style of trading, his timeframe, etc.

These guys have way more in common with firefighters, cops, construction workers, and other types than they do with the typical finance type. Frankly, they look down on many financial types and especially deride economists and other "talkers" who make grand predictions/analysis, but aren't in the trenches (and the CME floor IS the trenches) like they are, and aren't putting THEIR money where their mouth is (floor traders sometimes trade their own capital, sometimes' others).

Some floor traders become phenomenally wealthy, bolling comes to mind. He made his fortune primarily in the natural gas futures, which can eat you alive if you are not careful.

Sorry for the long rant, but my point is the average floor trader is an "average joe" not the kind of person you think of when you think finance and derivates.

[Lucky Luciano]

64. Good post...a lot of people have misconceptions. nt

[MattBaggins]

80. Your post did not help in the least

We are pissed at Santelli not the floor traders per se. You description of them as high school drop out jocks and frats types doesn't make them in the least bit sympathetic though.

[paulsby]

104. what exactly do you mean

my point is that santelli is the guy who reports from the floor etc. he made his rant from the floor of the CME.

i don't think floor traders are any more or less sympathetic than truck drivers, air traffic controllers, cops, firefighters, or any # of other jobs like that.

my point is people hear derivatives and finance and think santelli is talking about some hedge fund manager or some leveraged buyout gordon gekko archetype, when in fact he is most likely referring to a guy who facilitates order flow in the pit.

[Roy]

84. This guy is a tool

"iirc, Santelli was AGAINST the TARP bailout as well. I'd be happy to be proven wrong, but that's how I remember it."

Many repubs spoke out against the TARP, some belatedly after they realized it's unpopularity. Voicing opposition to something that is unpopular doesn't necessarily mean they are against it. Maybe he was really against it, but that does not absolve him from the venom he unleashed on people struggling to keep from losing their homes and Mr. Obama.

Did he make a passionate on air rant calling Bush out on his 3 page request for over 700 billion dollars with no oversight nor questions asked about it's use?

Well, maybe I just missed.

"My point is that the average floor trader is not a wall street fat cat, he is not some detached guy pressing buttons........"

But what he is is an idiot with a big microphone who chose to misrepresent the presidents' attempt to pull this country out of a big hole using right wing talking points. If he is smart enough to do his job, then he is smart enough to know that ALL people with homes being foreclosed on are not dead beats laying back expecting him and honest taxpayers to bail their lazy butts out.

But, that is the scenario that he laid out.

[TomClash]

88. Your post is good and accurate, as far as it goes

But they make a lot more than most of us. And many are just as arrogant, greedy and out of touch as anyone, holding conservative values dear. And most vote Republican religiously. They have a skill but they're not really in the "trenches" in any meaningful sense of the word. In the NYSE they basically do a few specialized types of trades over and over again because they are an anachronism for most trades. They're not exactly setting cranes for some Bovis subcontractor in the bathtub at the WTC.

Edit to say welcome to DU and this isn't really a criticism of your post but rather a criticism of the "floor trader/broker" mentality. :)

[paulsby]

105. survival bias

"But they make a lot more than most of us". the successful ones do. many lose tons of money, go bankrupt, wash out, etc. it is a difficult, stressful job. it is truly a job that favors people who know how to manage risk, operate on the fly, operate under stress, be aggressive, etc. i just don't think most people really understand what a floor trader does, and that's all i am saying.

referencing a floor trader is like referencing an "average joe". that's my point. they are a proxy for that.

"And most vote Republican religiously"

i have no idea whether that is true or not. i only personally know one former floor trader. he is most definitely not a republican. do you know this for a fact, or are you assuming it is so?

"They have a skill but they're not really in the "trenches" in any meaningful sense of the word. "

have you ever BEEN to the pit? i visited the CBOT. it was frigging frenzied, loud, and stressful. and i was watching from above. i mean they are in the trenches in the same way an air traffic controller is. as OPPOSED to a gordon gekko type, or academic economist, or MBA investment banker.

"In the NYSE they basically do a few specialized types of trades over and over again because they are an anachronism for most trades."

Santelli made his rant from the CME. NYSE is another animal. Personally, I loathe the specialist system, and it's very different from the CME pit. Specialists operate very differently (and imo have undue power and influence over price and order flow) vs. a pit trader. and don't even get me started on the AMEX guys.

you are right that they are not setting cranes, but it is a very physical job. as another analogy, it's also kind of similar to a waitress in a very busy restaurant. juggling all sorts of stuff, etc.

and thanks for the welcome.

[McCamy Taylor]

40. Here is Rick Santelli proving the law The Louder You Yell The Dumber You Are: Oil Price Speculation

Below is a YouTube video long rant about how he denied that oil speculation was raising the price of oil. He claimed that speculators were not artificially raising the price of oil, because there was no "last day" in which the price of oil finally plummeted.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3eeLZA71EM&feature=related

Be sure to watch the video and listen to Rick Santelli practice the GOP's favorite rhetorical trick of trying to augment his low logic position by keeping his voice as loud as possible. Because everyone knows that it isn't the force of your argument that counts, it is the ear splitting quality of your voice.

Then recall what happened to the price of oil the day the speculation stopped.

Rick Santelli is a major loser. You would be better off taking financial advice from me (physician, MPH, English major, biologist, fiction writer with no expertise in economics). At least I predicted the current depression/recession while guys like Santelli were still talking up the economy.

CNBC owes it to their viewers to take these guys who are talking heads for the industries who are trying to rip off the public off the air and put on people who will supply sound financial advice.

[vaberella]

41. I don't understand the American people. WS is what fucked us up and yet

when one loud mouthed WS agent gets on tv to act like an ass he's already a celebrity and he's being praised?! Wall Street is the enemy alongside shady banks which are basically all the the big banks and we're celebrating the rant of a Wall Street official. Idiots.

Thank you Gibbs and Obama for making this statement. The man is a moron.

[nc4bo]

42. About time. That assclown deserved that huge smackdown. nt

[madrchsod]

44. they spew their shit and expect no one to challenge them.

they have gotten away with this shit far to long without some one calling them out on it. when they are called out to prove what the said is "true" they whimper like little puppies.

they better back up what they say with bullet proof logic. there`s a new sheriff in town that will face them at high noon.

[paulsby]

47. The derivatives trader

Santelli is an asshat. Given that,

I think some people have a misconception of what the average floor trader is, where he/she comes from, etc. I believe that was who Santelli was referencing, since he was talking from the CME... this is one of the last exchanges in the industrialized world that still HAS floor traders. Most exchanges have gone completely electronic.

The average floor trader, who trades in futures and other derivatives is NOT a wall street fatcat. Some DO become very wealthy. But their background is frequently blue collar, they often have only a high school education (if that), they are of mixed ethnicity, etc. One thing is clear is that they are almost exclusively male, though.

It is a very athletic job, and some of the best traders are former star high school jocks, etc. It takes that kind of type-a aggressiveness and self confidence, and physical size on the floor helps too. Bobby Flay, the chef is a former floor trader, for example.

They almost never have MBA's and they do not come from the ivy league, or the financial hoi polloi, generally.

It is a very difficult job and many wash out. It is extremely stressful, and the wrong snap decision can have big consequences. In this respect, they are much like air traffic controllers.

My point is that the average floor trader is not a wall street fat cat, he is not some detached guy pressing buttons, he is not a guy who is doing leveraged buyouts (and destroying companies in the process). He is facilitating order flow, absorbing and providing liquidity, and either fading or riding the coattails of the big institutional investors, depending on his style of trading, his timeframe, etc.

These guys have way more in common with firefighters, cops, construction workers, and other types than they do with the typical finance type. Frankly, they look down on many financial types and especially deride economists and other "talkers" who make grand predictions/analysis, but aren't in the trenches (and the CME floor IS the trenches) like they are, and aren't putting THEIR money where their mouth is (floor traders sometimes trade their own capital, sometimes' others).

Some floor traders become phenomenally wealthy, bolling comes to mind. He made his fortune primarily in the natural gas futures, which can eat you alive if you are not careful.

Sorry for the long rant, but my point is the average floor trader is an "average joe" not the kind of person you think of when you think finance and derivates.

[and-justice-for-all]

52. But they sure the fuck love that corperate welfare!!!

Not one repuke fuckwad said a damn thing about the bank bailout! to me, it looks 50/50, they banks are getting a slap om the writs and people in foreclosure are getting assistance.

But still the repuke asshats boohoo about the foreclosure assistance..

So, Fuck you, you republican obstructionist assholes!

[No Elephants]

54. I have mixed feelings. On one hand, the guy is a jerk. Among other things, I

cannot believe that he wants more of what got us into this disaster. He just doesn't get it.

On the other hand, Presidents have so many ways of getting their message across. Fireside chats, speeches, whatever. If Obama wants air time, he can get all he wants (at this point, anyway). Maybe the way to fight the jerk is by explaining and selling the plan to the public in a way that the public can understand it and buy into it, rather than by trading TV sound bites with Santelli? If FDR could sell the public the New Deal (and it was totally new for that time) and Bushco could sell a pre-emptive war, the Obama admin should be able to sell the first and second parts of the stimulus plan.

On the third hand (yep, the third), Gibbs was rational, calm and effective. (Even Pub worshipper Matt Lauer stole the decaf remark on this morning's Today Show. And, maybe these days, the national attention deficit disorder demands sound bites.

Bottoom line. I don't know what is wisest, but I do think Obamadmin won this round.

[doxieone]

68. I agree that TeamObama did not win this round.

They should have ignored it. But they couldn't ignore it because Drudge made a big deal of it, and if Drudge made a big deal about it.... it must be a big deal.

[Ilsa]

56. Help with the problem, or watch your home value decline. That's the choice.

Watch your neighbors lose their jobs, and then their homes, and then watch your home value decline. And watch as your spouse loses his/her job. Before long, we are all in the same stinking mess.

I liked the mention of the prodigal son by Chris Mathews on Hardball. There are good lessons in that parable for us if we really want to see ourselves as united states.

[louis-t]

58. I've always wanted someone to do exactly that

when they spread lies. I've envisioned someone standing up and saying: "Here it is in my hand, you can download it, if you're too stupid to do it get yer kid to help you, and READ the damn thing before you shoot your mouth off."

[certainot]

63. gibbs: point out clowns like santelli are channelling limbaugh and sons

i wish he'd do that regularly, same w/obama anytime they hear the talking points- talk radio does the groundwork for that shit

limbaugh's got santelli's back

[Mr. Sparkle]

65. I think i understand it now. Santelli is saying that the government should not ..

interfere with the housing market, because some of his buddies with Hedge funds have bet that the market will go down and lose some of its value a.k.a derivatives

And with Obama rescuing these people, helping them stay in their homes, Hedge funds managers stand to lose millions/billions.

It just shows that Wall Street is still infected with parasites .

[ms liberty]

67. I think you're on to something there. Welcome to DU! n/t

[Mr. Sparkle]

103. Thanks, im glad to be here.

[FourScore]

69. k/r

[neuvocat]

70. Santenelli parroted RW talking points.

This is more than singling someone out: its confronting the false messages meant to mislead the public.

[Triana]

71. Robert Gibbs is doing a great job

I'm v.impressed with him as WH Press Sec'y.

[BrklynLiberal]

73. I saw Gibbs' statement on Hardball. He was sooo cool and smart.

Santelli is an idiot.
Chris Matthews asked Santelli who he voted for...Guess what..he voted for McSame.

[Control-Z]

74. Oh shock! n/t

[geiger]

96. Santelli is an idiot, and so is Gibbs. He sucks. He should have been doing a better job

of protecting his President.

He sucks; this whole situation sucks. SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS.

Some days I wonder if any of us deserves to be American.

We SUCK, to put up with this type of crap, as if by degrees of moral degrees, all truth is fucking relative. Well, it's not. There's just plain bullshit and evil out there, and it needs to be dealt with at such.

[GinaMaria]

75. check out the jerk's website www.chicagoteaparty.com

Check out this jerk's website. My husband works down the hall from this fool and word at the board of trade is that so far 1100 people have emailed Sentelli to join him at Lake Michigan in Chicago for a Chicago Tea Party.

Funny thing is, this website was started in August and Obama just announced his anti-foreclosure plan this week.

Maybe Rick Sentelli can see into the future or maybe this was a planned attack all along.

[MattBaggins]

81. I say we get a 100,000 for a tea party

in front of the exchange and give Santelli a piece of our mind.

Let's give pRick a teabag party.

[GinaMaria]

85. would be cool if more people turned out for Obama's plan

but he wouldn't know it until the cameras start rolling... that's a beautiful thought

[geiger]

95. let's do it. let's think of a creative way.

I think there is too much at stake to just think in "what if's." We need to do something.

[geiger]

92. I would guess you are right. Sigh.

Gibbs is going to have to get out in front of this shit! What the hell is he doing all day?

[boomerbust]

76. Larry Kudlow quote today

"Palin - Santelli 2012":rofl:

[spiritual_gunfighter]

77. Where was this stooge Santelli during the TARP?

I guess it's okay when the Bush administration throws good money after bad with no accountability. But now when the Obama administration has actual plans and ideas for where and what the money is going to do, rich Republicans get on their soapbox and pretend to be populists. What a total joke.

[FrenchieCat]

83. Reminds me of the Brooks Brother commotion in Florida in 2000!

[orleans]

86. Santelli -- what a total fucking asswipe dickhead. and i don't mean that lightly. n/t

[ItNerd4life]

87. WOW! I can't believe people here are supporting Gibbs and attacking Santelli!

If Bush ever did this everyone on DU would have been screaming that 'Dissent is Free Speech'.

So what, Santelli is an idiot. But the WH should NOT be telling people to shut up!

This scares the hell out of me!

[Political Heretic]

90. The WH is more than free to respond to critics, even the Bush WH

[geiger]

94. They can ban that freak from the premises for all I care; it's their perogative.

There's no f'ng way that the Administration has to put up with this type of attack. Take him out of the action. There are more than 100 ways to do this. Gibbs sucks; he has absolutely no idea what he's dealing with here.

He's got "the Man," but everyone wants a piece of the Man! Obama is so over-the-top awesome, he is attracting everyone else that thinks they're awesome, too. They are jealously looking at him like a piece of meat. Gibbs has gotta take these people out. And I am speaking metaphorically, but with all this talk of values and ethics, all ya gotta do is keep to the script. Knock em out with their own fucking inconsistencies. This is crazy, creepy, and deplorable...to put up with this shit. It's not in the interests of the country, for Christ's sake.

[geiger]

91. Typically, though, the media wants to shape events as much as report them

I think Santelli was simply irresponsible. He violated journalism's code of ethics, not that it's not done every day, but he should be called on it.

What he did was worse than shouting fire in a crowded building; even if we would want to believe he was caught up in the emotions of the moment, his actions were nothing less than invoking mass hysteria. He was reckless, and opportunistic.

[geiger]

89. Characterize it how you like, but was Gibbs mean enough?

Maybe if Gibbs were doing a better job defining the President's plans, others wouldn't be jumping in there and doing it for him.

I think Gibbs is out of his league and needs to turn the chief spokeperson's role to someone who's not a dweeb. He sucks; he's the wrong look, the wrong dweeby talker, and looks and talks like a doe in headlights.

Now that's getting personal, and direct, and lashing. Besides having been caught by the President with his feet up on his deak doing NOTHING, he is not serving his President well. They need to get rid of him!

[rpannier]

97. He's an idiot

Santelli that is.

[Taverner]

100. Cojones??? On a Democrat???

Seriously, its good to be back :)

[defendandprotect]

101. And calls for RE-REGULATION of Wall Street . . . ????

We probably also need a thorough shaking out at the SEC --

but most of all we need to air -- wash/rinse/dry -- the right wing propaganda

of the last decades.

And liked Gibbs approach to this ---

except how about the $8.5 TRILLION plus another $2-3 TRILLION in bail outs/handouts

to the financial sector -- banks, etc.

NATIONALIZING them would have helped "everyone."

PROVIDED . . . they are not auctioned off again and re-privatized!!!

[Stinky The Clown]

102. POLITICO IS NOT A RELIABLE NEWS SOURCE

Politico is a right wing propaganda operation. There were many, many, much more reliable sources for this story.

Politico is funded and run by right wing ideologues with direct ties to the biggest financier to, among others, Augusto Pinochet - and that would be the Albritton family - of Riggs Bank fame. Rigg's Bank, whose former headquarters is now, quite literally, known as th Treasury Department Annex, directly across 16th Street from the Treasury and a half block from the White House.

[and-justice-for-all]

106. In that cae, this story is shit....nt

[EFerrari]

107. If you didn't see the video of Robert kicking idiot @ss, go see it.

It was beautiful. The link is in the OP.